LiveBlog: Germany vs. Portugal

July 8th, 2006 | by: WC Bob | Comments(218)

A second half charge leads Germany to victory and to a third place finish at the 2006 World Cup. Portugal gave a good effort but they were unable to overcome a German team determined to go out in style. You can read the play-by-play below and leave your thoughts about the game and the team.

Final: Germany 3-1 Portugal

Full time That’s it from Stuttgart where the host nation comes away with a win and finishes the World Cup in Third Place. It wasn’t the best game and it wasn’t the worst, but it did open up in the second half to provide us with some entertainment. Thanks for joining me tonight. See you tomorrow at this very location. Pleasant dreams.

89:45 Worth noting that a quality player like Figo didn’t have to come into this game as a late sub and play hard but he has been wonderful. Good to see him go out playing like that.

89:05 This game has given us all we could expect from a Third Place game. A fair number of goals and a win by the host country. All in all, it could have been worse.

87:09 GOALLLLLLL!!!! Nuno Gomes gets a ball from Figo and dives to head it past Kahn. Nice goal as Gomes kisses his hand in celebration.

86:08 Neuville takes a cross and hits it over the bar. Will we see one more?

85:00 Just a reminder that I will be back tomorrow to LiveBlog the final. It would be swell if you could join me again as we put the finishing touches on the 2006 World Cup.

83:28 Kahn could have been starting keeper for probably 27 teams in this competition. He is still on his game. Lehmann was excellent too.

82:07 No team has ever finished in fourth place two times. Portugal will be the 17th different team to have the honor. Germany will finish third for the third time in its history.

81:12 All that is left to be decided is whether Kahn will get a shutout. Given Portugal’s inability to score I would say he will.

78:43 Schweinsteiger is rewarded for his pair of goals by being replaced by Thomas Hitzlsperger, who plays his club ball in Stuttgart. Schweinsteiger will receive Man of the Match honors tonight, but that body under the shirt. Get a tan, son.

77:39 GOALLLLLLL!!!! Bastian Schweinsteiger with another blast into the net and he rips off his shirt in celebration. Great goal from the midfielder.

77:10 Figo with a shot right away and Kahn shows he is a robot.

77:03 Pauleta hands over the captain’s armband to Figo and takes his seat on the bench where he can remember his one goal of the tournament.

76:02 Luis Figo set to come on and he looks not very interested in seeing garbage time minutes in a third place game.

74:46 Big Phil looking like he is about to cry on the sideline. He did a nice job with this Portugal team. I think they overachieved this tournament.

72:23 So what do you think? Will Germany be a force to reckon with in the Euro 2008? They do have a lot of nice young talent, but how much have they been aided by playing at home?

70:39 Mike Hanke makes his World Cup debut for Germany coming in for Lukas Podolski. Once again the Best Young Player didn’t show me much.

69:45 Pauleta shows more energy calling for a hand ball than he has this entire tournament. It wasn’t a hand ball from the look of the replay.

69:03 Nuno Gomes coming on for Nuno Valente. By FIFA rule you can only have one player named Nuno on the pitch at one time.

68:02 Portugal’s biggest problem has been a lack of a target up front and that continues to be the case tonight.

65:59 Simao goes to the turf but it is only to show us his tattoo on his arm.

65:29 Klose will have to hope that Henry doesn’t net a hat trick tomorrow and steal the Golden Shoe away from him.

64:23 Lahm dispossesses Ronaldo and a horn blows outside my apartment. Klose comes off and Nueville is on. A bit surprised he isn’t left on to try for another one but a very good tournament for Klose.

62:04 Tough break for Portugal but now the game should really open up and the home crowd can go home happy. The only thing left is a Klose goal. Deco with a break away that challenges Kahn but the legend is up to the task.

60:23 GOALLLLLL!!!! Podolski taken down by Farriera and that earns the Portugal player a card. Free kick for Germany is kicked in by a Portugal player. Petit with an own goal.

59:48 Klose with a long cross and Lahm hammers it with a full volley that just goes over the bar. Germany has woken up and is looking for more fun.

58:12 That goal almost makes this game worth it. Heck, watching another 90 minutes of World Cup football is not so bad. I apologize for my previous agony. Now let’s see a few more good goals and call it a night.

56:49 Heck of a shot from Schweinsteiger. The ball just swerved through the air and made the usually inflappable Ricardo look mortal.

55:29 GOALLLLLLLL!!! Bastian Schweinsteiger with a blast that beats Ricardo and puts Germany int he lead.

54:01 This game CAN’T end 0-0. I refuse to let that happen.

52:23 Pauleta cuts it back in the box and he gets a weak shot on goal that Kahn saves. It is hard to believe Pauleta is the all time leading scorer for Portugal. He is largely useless.

50:42 Maniche with a long run that leads to a call in his favor. Portugal with a free kick just outside the area. Simao still wearing a shirt three sizes too small. He hits it too high and Portugal’s long scoring drought continues.

48:39 Kehl with a nifty back heel that leads to a cross. Kehl is having a nice game for Germany.

47:15 There was a nice shot of Klinsmann and Big Phil laughing with one another at halftime. I get the feeling that if I had either one over for dinner I would like them.

46:00 Pauleta is called offside. We haven’t seen the flag raised much tonight. We shall see it quite a bit with Henry and the Italian forwards tomorrow night.

45:23 Petit is on for Costinha. The other 21 players are the same that we saw in the first half.

45:01 We’re back underway from Stuttgart where by law we are required to watch another 45 minutes of Third Place World Cup football. Let’s all put our collective heads together and pray that this does not go to extra time. Thanks for joining me. I know you could be out picking mushrooms or something so it is cool to have some people suffering with me during the match. The next half is going to be great. Just keep repeating that while you click your ruby slippers.

Halftime Stats Germany 3-2 shots on goal; Portugal 3-2 corner kicks, Portugal 57-43% possession, Portugal 10-8 fouls committed.

Halftime After 45 minutes of play we are still scoreless. It hasn’t been the most exciting Third Place game in history but there have been some shots, some dives and a few other things that have kept us all awake. I’m going to go practice my diving and will be back at the start of the second half. You are welcome to leave your thoughts on the past 45 minutes of your life.

44:07 Ronaldo beats a couple of players and then jumps up in the air before diving. The referee is not impressed and ignores the theatrics.

43:48 Portugal wins a corner kick after Frings clears it away. Nothing comes out of it and it looks like we will be headed to halftime without a goal.

42:34 Ballack on the bench laughing about the fact he isn’t out taking part in this game.

41:02 Both teams sort of muddling through this stretch of football kind of like I am muddling this way through the liveblog.

39:38 The wave breaks out in the stadium. It will be back four years from now. That is a promise.

38:01 Simao with a cross and Oliver Kahn is there to snare it away. Ronaldo with some more fancy passing that doesn’t really work.

36:36 The German crowd can no longer sing that song about going to Berlin. They are welcome to come here tomorrow their team won’t be playing though.

35:28 Beckenbauer in attendance tonight wearing a sporting blue tie. Good effort from The Kaiser this tournament. Next time I will take his place and attend 48 matches in person. He can do the liveblogging.

33:11 Frings blasts the free kick over the Portugal goal. We still haven’t seen a goal but this game hasn’t lacked for excitement. In that meaningless kind of exciting way.

32:18 Germany’s defense is like a forest of redwood trees. All of them are huge except for Lahm who might just have the biggest heart. Costinha picks up a yellow card. He might lead the World Cup in yellow cards.

30:49 Portugal back to the passing it around thing. Deco gets it finally and turns in the box. His shot is high and wide. Deco can be fun to watch.

29:01 Germany awarded another free kick near the box and Portugal is left to wonder why the referee doesn’t like them. Schneider takes it and it goes over the bar.

27:38 Klose by the side of the area goes down in a heap. German free kick. The Pig Man takes it and it is headed away without a worry.

26:12 Schneider is clipped down and looks close to death. He will live. The free kick however is dead on arrival with Ricardo snaring it.

24:02 Klose breaks free and he is held up by Costa who is shown a yellow card. Crafty move by Klose. Free kick for Germany outside the box. Podolski with the kick and Ricardo makes anothe big save to keep it scoreless.

22:38 Podolski is taken down and Germany gets a free kick from far out. It goes into the Portugal box and away harmlessly.

21:29 Typical kind of third place game where you see players not really sticking boots in and a lot of room for the midfielders to operate.

20:13 So far the German team has given the home crowd little reason to cheer. As I type that, Kehl puts a little chip on goal that extends Ricardo. Nifty little chip and nice save.

19:01 Portugal leading 60-40% in possession and that number is increasing by the second.

17:29 Portugal doing a nice job mounting the attack. Nice of Pauleta to finally show up for a game. He has been AWOL this tournament.

15:53 Ronaldo with step over move. Was that a new move? No need to answer that.

14:37 Pauleta brings it into the box and Oliver Kahn comes up with a big save. The old dude still has it.

13:39 Portugal free kick is swung in on goal and Oliver Kahn eats it like a rock star biting off the head of a chicken. Big Phil looking unconcerned on the sideline.

12:12 Kehl’s shot in the very beginning looked to hit a Portugal player in the hand in the box. Germany tv is showing it more often than the live action.

10:49 Ronaldo works his way into the box and lays it off for Simao who shows that he isn’t Luis Figo by blasting the shot high and wide.

10:00 I thought the point of this game was to have lots of goals. So far there are none but Germany is trying a little bit more than Portugal to change that.

9:28 Frings gets a shot off but it is as weak as one of his punches.

8:23 Ronaldo with a no look pass that goes to the German team. Klose on the other end gets the ball on the right side and drills is just wide. That wasn’t too Klose…grrr..been waiting to use that one.

6:58 Back to back calls against Germany. Frings is shown a yellow. The ref better be careful. That guy isn’t afraid to duke it out.

6:23 Frings back in the line up after serving his game suspension for pretending he was Muhammad Ali against Argentina.

5:02 Have to think that Germany will try its best to get Klose a goal so he can clinch the Golden Boot. Except if Podolski tries to steal the show.

3:38 Lahm gets tripped up by Nuno Valente and earns a free kick for Germany from the right side. Schneider takes it and it comes out to Kehl who volleys it towards goal. Corner kick.

2:39 Slow motion replay of Kahn yelling at his defender. That is a flashback to 2002.

2:02 Oliver Kahn with his first touch of the game and it is a clearance. Portugal controlling the possession.

:45 Portugal rolling it around and Nuno Valente takes a tumble. Pretty much sums up their World Cup.

Kickoff: We’re underway in Stuttgart for the Third Place match of the 2006 World Cup. Germany and Portugal are both playing for pride and to end the World Cup on a winning note. Thanks for joining me, instead of spending your day mowing the lawn. Your comments are appreciated. Please keep them clean, have fun and love one another. The game might be meaningless but your participation certainly is not.

3 Minute Countdown: Hey, let’s all hear the German national anthem one more time and see Jurgen Klinsmann’s mouth on television one more time. Oliver Khan is not the singing type. Wow, that was a close up of his face. The nightmares I’ll have tonight.

5 Minute Countdown: Portugal national anthem is fired up and the players are happy to hear it for another time. The third place kid escorts look a bit grumpy. They wish they were in tomorrow’s opening ceremony.

8 Minute Countdown: The crowd reminds us all that the game is being played in Deutschland. Cristiano Ronaldo reminds us all that mullets look bad.

9 Minute Countdown: Utterly disturbing image of the German Chancellor next to Sepp Blatter. She appeared to be dancing and/or blowing kisses. My eyesssssss……

10 Minute Countdown: The two teams are lined up in the tunnel. Germany is adorned in white shirts, black shorts and white socks. Portugal is wearing port color clothing from head to toe. No word on the color of their undershorts. The referee for tonight’s game is Toru Kamikawa from Japan. He weighs in at a svelt 76 kg, the precise amount of weight I have gained liveblogging 30+ matches this World Cup.

15 Minute Countdown: Did you know that Germany and Portugal have never met in the World Cup? Well, now you do. The teams have played each other 14 times with Germany winning 6, Portugal 3 and the two teams playing to a peaceful resolution 5 times. This is Germany’s fourth appearance in the Third Place match. They have won twice and lost once. Portugal has only been this far one other time. They finished third in 1966. Tonight’s liveblog is sponsored by my fingers and by a cold, clear, refreshing pilsner beer.

20 Minute Countdown: It was absurdly hot in Berlin the last two days and last night there was a thunderstorm of biblical proportions. I was stuck under a metal beer shed with six Australians and I feared for my life. The amount of beer those guys bought me was truly frightening. The weather in Stuttgart is a beautiful 23C/75F today. Should be ideal weather for the fans of Germany to pay one last tribute to their heroes and for fans everywhere to love and hate Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo.

25 Minute Countdown: Germany’s Lukas Podolski was named the recipient of the Best Young Player Award a couple of days ago and tonight his partner up front Miroslav Klose can almost all but lock up the Golden Boot award that goes to the tournament’s top goal scorer with another goal or two. Klose has five goals heading into the match and his only realistic challenger is France’s Thierry Henry who has three goals. The thing that has impressed me the most about Klose is not his goal scoring but his ability to pass. By the way, my favorite German commentator is calling tonight’s game. The man, the legend: Fritz von Thurn und Taxis. What a name!

30 Minute Countdown: Germany is missing captain Michael Ballack, Per Mertesacker, Tim Borowski and Arne Friedrich for today’s game due to injury. Portugal will be without Ricardo Carvalho due to suspension and Miguel because of injury. Luis Figo is on the bench and presumably will get the night off because he kinds of deserves a night off after all these years. Not nights off for me. I haven’t missed a game yet and for better or for worse my fingers will be working overtime tonight, although if it goes to extra time I will probably cry. Here are the 22 men who will start the game and more likely than not fade from your memory long before the World Cup kicks off again in 2010.

Germany
12. Oliver Kahn, 2. Marcel Jansen, 4. Robert Huth, 5. Sebastian Kehl, 7. Bastian Schweinsteiger, 8. Torsten Frings, 11. Miroslav Klose, 16. Philipp Lahm, 19. Bernd Schneider, 20. Lukas Podolski, 21. Christoph Metzelder

Portugal
1. Ricardo, 2. Paulo Ferreira, 4. Ricardo Costa, 5. Fernando Meira 6. Costinha, 9. Pauleta, 11. Simão, 14. Nuno Valente, 17. Cristiano Ronaldo, 18. Maniche, 20. Deco

40 Minute Countdown: The Third Place match traditionally allows coaches for both sides to give their younger players some playing experience in the World Cup. Such is the case for Germany tonight, except at the keeper position where Oliver Kahn will make his 2006 World Cup debut. The winner of the Golden Ball as the best player in 2002, Kahn has been cheerleading, kind of, for Jens Lehmann this tournament. Tonight he gets the nod as coach Jurgen Klinsmann makes a classy move and allows Kahn to receive the adulation of the German fans at least one last time.

50 Minute Countdown: Well, it is the game that neither team wanted to play in, but both Germany and Portugal have showed up in Stuttgart so we might as well throw out eleven players for each side and kick the ball around. The game doesn’t carrying much meaning but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun to watch. I’ve been going through football withdraw the past couple of days so it shall be nice to watch a 90 minute game as an appetizer for an epic day tomorrow. Starting lineups and musings on life coming your way faster than a Tour de France time trial.

What is your prediction for this critical third place game?